History for ajc28

'In my last season, Brendan Rodgers came to me at Melwood one day in mid-August. We had a chat on the training pitch. He said, ‘You know we’ve missed out on a couple of signings. I’m basically left with no option but to have a bit of a gamble.’

Brendan paused before he spoke again: ‘The gamble is Mario Balotelli.’ My instant reaction was, ‘Uh-oh.’

'In 2004, Ferguson had called me 'the most influential player in England, bar none' and suggested that 'anyone would love to have Gerrard in their team'. So I was a little hurt and surprised when 13 years later, Ferguson used his autobiography to insist he was one of the few he never thought I was 'a top, top player'. I wouldn't lose any sleep but I was slightly taken aback after all his praise. The only point that mattered was that I have real respect for Ferguson, but I wondered how many league titles he thought Scholes or Keane might have won if they had played for a side like Liverpool. I would have done OK in a United team playing alongside Keane in midfield with David Beckham on the right, Ryan Giggs on the left and Ruud van Nistelrooy up front. I would have managed pretty well in that side.'

'When I saw Rafa taking Fernando off I felt my heart sink, this was my year. I had come so close the previous season and here I was at what was supposed to be my crowning season, the one where all my dreams came to be staring at the gaffer and shaking my head, I felt a pain like no other person could possibly feel. I thought so till that fateful day in Anfield against Chelsea. As Macheda curled that ball into the corner of the net I cried, I cried for myself because I knew that it was over, all that I had worked so hard for all season was over. I never forgave Villa for handing United the trophy that season, they will always be dirt to me, utter filth. I cried all night long. As I think about this, I feel like crying again.'

'Best Midfielder I played against? Keane No 1. The rest? They’re all different. Frank’s the best goalscoring midfielder, Scholes the best footballer, Vieira the most difficult opponent... I loved playing against all of them. They showed me how a true great midfielder should play.'

'On Rafa: I used to think he favoured our Spanish-speakers. He was an especially big fan of South American players, which is fine. It caused no problem between us. At press conferences he might call other players by their first name but I was always 'Gerrard'. It was the same in the dressing room. He would read out the team and use nicknames. But, for me, it would just be 'Gerrard'. I thought long and hard, why? Why me?'

'During those distressing days when I felt so torn about whether or not I should stay or go I never once thought to myself, 'I want to play for Chelsea instead of Liverpool'. My head was almost turned because I was thinking, 'I'd love to play for Jose Mourinho'. I was certain that, under Jose, I would win all the trophies I craved. Between July 2005 and May 2015 Chelsea won the Champions League, two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, the Europa League and two League Cups. That's 10 big trophies. In that same period at Liverpool, I have won an FA Cup and a League Cup. A league cup. Chelsea 10, Liverpool 2. I knew I made the wrong choice.'

'The following morning, just before the squad left for training, Pearce pulled me into a toilet at The Grove. He said, ‘I just wanted to tell you face to face that I’m going to be picking Scott Parker to be the captain for this game.’ Scott Parker is a good player and honest; I’ve got a lot of respect for Scott as a player and a person. But to pick Scott Parker as England captain ahead of me? Absolutely laughable.

I don’t know whether it was a dig at Liverpool or something more personal — but my overall perception was that Pearce was doing some muscle-flexing in the toilet mirrors.

My guess is it was a decision designed to focus attention on him, his way of saying: ‘This is me. I’m in charge.’

I might have had misgivings about his tactical insights as a coach, but I respected Pearce until that moment. I felt he treated me very badly. It was insulting — and wrong. I thought it was selfish. It was a political decision to make everyone think he had balls.

It was clear in team meetings Pearce wanted to impress and get a crack at the job for Euro 2012.

But I think the decision he shared with me in a toilet was one of the reasons he never got the position he craved.'

'Of the bad ones, I don’t really want to waste time thinking about El Hadji Diouf but it’s worth highlighting his wasted seasons at Liverpool as an example of how it can all go wrong. Gerard Houllier, a very good manager and a usually wise judge of character, signed Diouf in the summer of 2002. Gerard bought Diouf for £10m from Lens - solely on the recommendation of his former assistant, Patrice Bergues, who had coached Diouf there.

I understood why Gerard rushed through the signing, but he did not really know Diouf as a person. He was one of three new signings which were meant to turn Liverpool into Premier League champions. We had finished as runners-up to Manchester United the season before and a combination of Diouf, Salif Diao and Bruno Cheyrou was supposed to drive us to the title. It was probably the biggest waste of £18m in Liverpool’s history ever. We finished 5th that season.'